Wrecked

Have you been wrecked? Encountered a person, situation, injustice or experience that just leaves you ruined? The first I was wrecked was in 2005 in a sleepy costal village of India. I had signed up for a 10 day trip to help rebuild houses that were devastated by the tsunami that hit in December of 2004. Millions were left homeless, and I wanted to go be the hands and feet to someone who needed help. And I was forever changed. Seeing the faces of those who had nothing and everything stolen from them. Hearing the cries of the still homeless. Feeling their desperation. Wondering what good I could actually do. But I carried thousands of bricks, ground cement, laughed with families and carried children around. And that was something. I did something. And my life was forever altered. 

As my journey led me to missions, I discovered an organization called Adventures in Missions where I eventually became staff for a time. While on staff there, I worked with a trip called the World Race, doing everything from interviewing applicants, booking airfare, posting blogs, and doing graphic design. It was during my time there that I met a fellow missionary, named Jeff Goins. Jeff was a big part of training the Racers on how to blog and how to share their stories. He was passionate for writing & story telling. Jeff's passion, several years down the road, led him to writing a book called "Wrecked:When a Broken World Slams into Your Comfortable Life" in which he captures this moment of wrecking…and what to with it. One of my favorite statements he wrote is, "If we are to follow the Jesus who suffered with us and bled for us, we too must suffer. We must hold the dying in our arms. We must shed tears for hungry stomachs, trafficked children, and wandering souls. This is what He wants for us." By getting wrecked by these sufferings, we are living and loving as Jesus did. Jeff challenges our generation to live for something more than what we see. "Instead of raising families or creating culture, we are sitting in our living rooms with our eyes glued to the television, simulating life." And he doesn't just challenge us to experience that wrecking moment, but to live a lifestyle that has been wrecked. When I left India, I couldn't go back to life as normal. I knew I'd do more mission trips, and I knew I'd be a missionary. From that moment I just knew. It took 5 more years to actually get to be a "full time missionary", and I took several detours, but I'm here. Living a totally wrecked life, and loving it. 

I challenge you to read this book and see where it takes you. Your journey will look different than mine, and rightly so. Only you can be the solution to the problem God calls you to. Get Wrecked!!